Bacteriological analysis of selected fishes sold in wet markets in Tuguegarao city, Cagayan, Philippines

Fish and fish products are familiar sources of foodborne outbreaks and recalls. Pathogenic and spoilage bacteria can enter any production, processing, or distribution stage, threatening consumer safety. Fish locally sold at Tuguegarao City, Cagayan, Philippines wet market, namely Oreochromis niloticus (tilapia), Chanos chanos (bangus), Siluriformes (hito), and Decapterus macarellus (galunggong), were collected and sent to the Department of Agriculture Cagayan Valley Integrated Laboratory (DA-CVIAL) Regional Feed Chemical Analysis Laboratory (RFCAL) for bacteriological analysis. Total bacterial count, total coliform/E. coli count, S. aureus count, and presence of Salmonella spp. were conducted for analysis. Two tilapia and one hito sample exceeded the threshold for safety standards on the total bacterial count. Aside from these, all fish species have unacceptable levels of E. coli except for galunggong and tilapia (not tested for E. coli). Analysis of Salmonella yielded concerning results. Only two hito samples and three tilapia samples tested negative for the microorganism. This suggests the presence of Salmonella in a significant portion of the fish across all species. S. aureus contamination was not detected in any of the fish samples. By the FDA standards (Circular No. 2022-012), no species passed the microbiological tests. High levels of fish contamination may be caused by various factors, including environmental temperature, which can allow certain organisms to thrive, poor personal hygiene of the fish handler, and contaminated water sources that may contain fecal matter.